Ore-washer.



Patented luly 23, VIQI. N0. 679,I00. c." F. ALLEN.

ORE .WASHER (Applicgtion led Dec. 4, 1900.)

UNITED STATES CHARLES FRANCIS ALLEN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ORE-WASHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 67 9,100, dated July 23, 1901. Application filed December 4,1900. Serial No. 38,654. (No model.)

To LZZ whom, it nfl/ty concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLEs FRANCIS ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State'of California, have invented a new and useful Ore-VVasher, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved ore-washer especially adapted for recovering the ine gold from heavy black sands; and it consists in the peculiarconstruction and combination of devices hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

My invention relates to that class of orewashers in which the iine gold is collected by gravity in sinks or riffles in the bottom of a sluice or trough; and one object of my present improvements is to provide means for preventing the black sands from settling in the said sinks or rii'lies and to cause the same to be discharged by the water from the sluice or trough.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for maintaining a head of water at the mouth or upper end of the sluice or trough, so that the latter will be at all times, when in operation, illed to its utmost capacity with the water passing therethrough and the speed of the current of water accelerated.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for preventing other mattei' than the fine gold from settling in the sinks or riftles of the sluice or trough.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section,'ot` an ore- Washer constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the sluiceor trough on a larger scale, showing the details of the construction thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail planview of the bottom of the sluice or trough. Fig. 5 is a detail inverted plan view of the top of the sluice or trough, showing magnets disposed thereon.

The sluice or trough 1 is supported in an inclined position in an outer trunk or casing 2, which is supported by any suitable means,

and at the upper end of the sluice or trough l is an enlarged mouth or intake 3, the sides and top of which are flared outwardly, as shown. The intake `of the sluice or trough is disposed in a race or other source of water, (indicated at 4,) and in which a head of water is at all times maintained while the ore-washer is in operation.

I will now describe the construction of the sluice or trough l. The bottom thereof, which is indicated at 5, may be of any suitable width, is usually a wooden board, and is provided on its upper side with a series of transversely-disposed sinks or ritiies G, which are preferably formed by gouging out the same, and the inner end of the said series of transversely-disposed sinks overlap each other, as shown in Fig. .4. In practice these sinks are about one-fourth of an inch deep. The sides 7 of the sluice or trough are of suitable height-in practice about one and a half inches, no matter what may be the width of the bottom of the same. The top 8 of the sluice is preferably formed by a board and is removable at will, the topv 9 of the outer trunk or casing 2 being removable from the latter to permit access to the sluice or trough l. A cloth l0, of suitable material, is disposed on the bottom of the sluice or trough and eX- tends longitudinally thereof and is stretched thereon and covers the sinks or riftles 6. mesh of the said cloth is of such size as While excluding the passage therethrough of sands and other foreign matters is adapted to permit the passage by gravity of the fine-gold particles, so that the same may become deposited in the sinks or riffles 6. The top of the sluice or trough is provided throughout its extent with a series of magnets. In the form of my invention here shown electromagnets (indicated at 1l) of suitable form have like poles connected to a steel or iron plate l2 on the lower side of the top board 8 of the sluice or trough, whereby the said iron or steel plate may be magnetized. Any other means may within the scope of my invention be employed for creating a magnetic iield traversed by the current iiowing through the sluice or trough, so that the magnetic particles in said current will be attracted from above and the diamagnetic particles, as iine gold, may be correspondingly slightly repelled, and hence caused the more readily to sink or settle to the bottom of the sluice or trough.

In the operation of my invention 'the ore The IOO

which is fed to the mouth of the sluice or trough is carried by the water downward therethrough, the fine-gold particles are washed and separated from the base particles 1 by the current of water, and owing to their gravity pass through the meshes of the cloth and become deposited in the sinks or rifiies 6. The black sands, which contain iron and are very heavy, are prevented from settling on the bottom of the trough by the action of the magnets, which serve to overcome the gravity of the said black sands and prevent them from lodging in the sluice. It is of vimportance to prevent the black sands from pieces overlapping the fixed upper ends of the next cloth below throughout the series, as shown in Fig. 2, the said cloths being free to wave or undulate in the current of water and being interposed between the sands and the magnetized plate,thereby not only preventing sands from coming in contact with .and adhering to the magnetized plate, but also act,

ing mechanically to keep the said sands suspended in the current of water and insuring their discharge by the water from the sluice or trough.

I provide the sluice or trough at its upper end with a suitable gate, (indicated at 14 in Fig. 1,) by means of which the water may be admitted to the sluice or trough in such quantities as may be required. It is essential to the most efficient operation of the apparatus that the sluice or trough be filled to its utmost capacity by the water and that the current of waterpassing through the same be strong and swift, and these conditions are attained by the ared enlarged mouth or intake of the sluice, which acts upon the principle of the vena contracta, as will be understood.

In the practical operation of my invention I have been enabled to successfully treat thirty tons of ore per day with an apparatus of the same size as one of the ordinary construction, the capacity of which is ten tons per day, and I have also materially increased the quantity of the gold recovered thereby from the ores.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In an ore-Washer a sluice having sinks or riftles in its lower side, a magnetized plate in the upper side of the saidsluice, above the said sinks or riflies, and streamers adapted by the current of water passing through the sluice, to cover said magnetized plate and also mechanically prevent the settling of thel magnetically-attracted particles 'of the ore on the said magnetic plate, substantially as described.

2. In an ore-Washera sluice having sinks or riflies in its lower side forming places for the deposit of line-gold particles, screens over said sinks or riftles to prevent the settling of sands therein, means to agitate the material carried by the current through the sluice to prevent the settling therein and means to magnetically attract iron-carrying particles in the said current from above, to countervail the gravity thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony that I yclaim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES FRANCIS ALLEN.

Witnesses:

R. RYAN, C. W. IIILL. 

